Terms like “slow,” “sluggish,” “weak” and “uncertain” have been thrown about when describing today’s job market.
When Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn’s Editor at Large for Jobs & Career Development, interviewed LinkedIn’s Chief Economist Karin Kimbrough about it in early September of 2025, she described it as a two-speed economy, where some will find it hard to get hired and others won’t.
CNN described it as downright lousy and Bloomberg wrote, “The degree to which conditions are outright bad — either for people looking for work or anxious about getting laid off — is still hazy, but starting to look more concerning.”
If your head is spinning from 180-degree whiplash when we turned from “the Great Resignation,” when hiring was booming, to today’s “Job Hugging” environment, you’re not alone.
Journalists and economists point the finger at economic and political uncertainty, together with policy shifts, pandemic over-hiring and the impact of AI and automation on specific industries. Add in high interest rates, lingering inflation and policy changes – it’s not surprising that employers are cautious.
There were more unemployed people in the US than job openings, according to the BBC, something we haven’t seen since the pandemic.
A perfect storm? Perhaps. Either way, it’s not you. It’s them.
The saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” is apt in terms of the mindset of grit, resilience, and patience necessary to navigate today’s market best.
Read on for strategies to get you going.
Find the Bright Spots
For those who are flexible and strategic, targeting roles in businesses experiencing growth and momentum may lighten the load. According to Robert Half’s Aug 2025 study, the following industries are currently hiring:
- Technology (including AI, cybersecurity, and data analytics)
- Healthcare (due to an aging population)
- Renewable Energy (fueled by climate efforts)
- Financial Services/Finance (including finance, accounting and tech due in part to digital transformation)
- Manufacturing and Engineering (tied to innovation and logistics)
- Education (primarily administrative roles)
- Professional & Business Services (think project management and marketing).
- Transportation and Warehousing (thanks to e-commerce)
- Consumer Products (mainly Customer Service roles)
Perhaps surprising to some, the trades (HVAC, electricians, plumbers, etc.) are seeing a hiring boom, according to Kimbrough.
Furthermore, Fox Business and Business Insider note the “Great Boomer Business Sell-Off” or “Silver Tsunami” is underway, and it is far from over, offering an opportunity for entrepreneurial-minded folks to purchase traditional businesses (think laundromats to vending machines) from retiring Baby Boomers.
Organize Time Spent Job Searching Wisely
As much as I’d love it to be the case, as an Executive Resume Writer, I can attest that a fantastic resume isn’t a magic bullet, and there’s more to it than having a skeletal LinkedIn profile and scouring job boards.
Unless targeting a highly-niche role, most who engage in applying online as their sole point of entry find themselves in a soul-sucking black hole that wastes valuable time.
Instead, in addition to making sure your resume and LinkedIn tell your story and are keyword/skill optimized, I recommend navigating today’s world of job hunting by devoting your time accordingly across 4 buckets:
#1 Targeted Research (25%)
Spend a quarter of your total weekly or daily job hunt hours conducting careful research to identify names of companies or organizations where you’d be thrilled to work.
Local business journals, LinkedIn and other websites offer listings of organizations sorted by just about any category you can think of. This is also an excellent prompt for AI LLMs like ChatGPT.
Once you’ve compiled a list, you can then refer to company websites – and ask ChatGPT –to learn as much as you can about pain points, product/service expansions, media mentions, etc.
The website’s branding — from its layout and style of writing — often yields subtle clues about the company’s culture.
Sites like Bloomberg and Hoover offer free versions to uncover details about public companies, like who sits on their board, stock history and the competition.
While it’s a bit harder to get intel on private companies, resources are available online. Check out Forbes’ list of The 20 Largest Privately Held Companies in America, or Inc.com’s list of Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies also known as the Inc 5000.
For nonprofits, check out Top Workplace’s Nonprofit Top Workplaces or GuideStar’s nonprofit directory.
#2 Establish a Digital Brand (20%)
Having a limited professional online presence can hurt you today. Recruiters and hiring managers search online to find and vet candidates.
When it comes to today’s job search, this means LinkedIn — and with good reason. While the percentages of recruiters who use LinkedIn to find and vet talent vary (Social Shepherd says 72% and Team Stage says 87%), the consensus is clear that it’s a place where you’re likely to be found.
Begin by keyword-optimizing your LinkedIn profile to align with your target audience, incorporating relevant keywords into your headline, Skills section, role descriptions and About/Summary section. I use ChatGPT and LinkedIn’s Resume Builder tool to pinpoint them.
In terms of social proof, I recommend using LinkedIn’s search filters to locate, share and comment on posts about your career aspirations – and posting 1-2x a week can help your profile remain prominent in the feeds of your connections.
Free tools like LinkedIn’s scheduler, Buffer and Hootsuite can take the time crunch out of this by letting you schedule posts ahead of time.
#3 Build, Maintain and Harness Your Network (50%)
The adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” rings with clarity when it comes to the job hunt. Why? According to a 2017 SHRM study, referrals account for 30%+ of hires overall and 45% of internal hires. Although this study is dated, I’ve no reason to believe the stats have changed.
When it comes to figuring out who is in your network, I start with your inner circle and work outward.
Begin with friends, families, neighbors and colleagues – and include consultants and vendors. Expand your list from there to think about acquaintances or people who cross your path, but less regularly (think the dad who is on your kid’s baseball team or the person who goes to your cycling class).
Take your search to LinkedIn. Search by company and job title to locate hiring managers at companies that interest you and recruiters and professionals who are successful in your desired job field. If you aren’t connected with these people, figure out who you know who is or send them a personalized connection request.
Are they a connection? If so, options for outreach include email, phone calls and InMail (only if they’re active on the profile). On the other hand, if you don’t know a person well or at all, reach out via InMail or do a bit of sleuthing to uncover a professional email. RocketReach.co is a great free resource.
Once you connect, it’s OK to ask for names, info and words of wisdom. Be sure to close out your interaction by asking for names of 3 additional people that they suggest you contact.
#4 Job Boards (5%)
Go ahead and spend your remaining time on job boards – but remain vigilant because scams abound nowadays – and manage your expectations (the ROI is dismal – some estimate <1%).
If nothing else, this will give you a sense of which companies currently have hiring budgets and can help you uncover names of recruiters and firms actively posting.
I’m a fan of niche job boards like Job Stars and Job Search Database that allow you to search by industry.
Consider a Stop Gap Job
If unemployed and/or facing dwindling savings, there’s no shame in taking on contract, freelance or temp work.
In addition to much-needed income and some financial stability, a temporary role helps you maintain a current work history. It also might enable you to gain new skills and expand your network – keeping you engaged while searching for a better, permanent role.
Control What’s Within Your Control
There’s no doubt that job search is tough right now – and the signs are murky on when/if things will get better.
Job seekers who focus on controlling what’s within their control – going where the growth is and doubling down on research, their connections and outreach communications – will come out on top.
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